Color indicator for weft-replenishing looms



March 2 7, 1928. 1,663,942.

- A. A. GORDON l COLOR INDICATOR FOR WEFT REPLENISHING LOOMS Filed Oct. 19, 1926 44 6 lm enior looms which employ the'Knowles head run Patented Mar. 27, 1928.

fiiijifiiijii 1,663,942

UNITED S'T'AITFE'FQS; j FATE NT; oFrlcE.

ALBERT A. ,eonnon, or wotaonsrnn, MAssAonUsE'rrs- ASSIGNOR, T0 cnomr'ron t2.

KNOWLES LOOM WORKS, OFv MASSACHUSETTS.

,coLon mnrca'ronron wnrrrnnrnnnisnmeLooms.

Application filmlflctober 19,1926. Serial m5. 1, 12,773.

groups according to distinctive character istics such, for instance, as color, and there is a selecting mechanism which chooses the correct color to be insertedinto theexhaustcd shuttle. By means of releasingldevices commonly termed cradles the selected bobbin is passed from the proper position common to all the stacks and it' is necessary that the bobbin start toward'transfer position suflicientlyfearly in the pick to arrive under the transferrer arm before the y will appear as the description proceeds, vmy

invention resides in the a combination and, arrangement of parts hereinafter described latter starts to move down.

When weft replenishing mechanisms of the multi-color} type have been employed heretofore in con Knowles head it has been} nection with the found that the speed of the loom is sufiiciently slow so that the bobbin has sufficient time to arrive at transfer position when the color select-or is operated directly from the means which moves the boxes and in strict time with the latterdue tothe fact that worsted at a comparatively slow rate of speed. v

Recent developments in automatic silk looms have brought into use a form of Knowles head somewhat lighter than that used on the worsted loom andithese silk looms run at a much faster speedthanthe ordinary worsted loom. As a result, it is; found that when silk looms have the form of connection between the boxes and-the color selector usual in worsted looms'insufficient time is allowed for the dropping of the selected bobbin to'transfer position. It I is an important object of my present invention to provide improved means for completing the movement of the color selector prior to arrival of the boxes at their ult1- mate positions, to the end that the color 7 selector may start its bobbin releasing movement earlier in the pick than has 'beenpos- Stack to a transfer WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS A CORPORATION 01' sible heretofore when the Knowles head has been employed, 7 A

A further and more particular object of my invention is to employ parts customarily found "on the Knowles head for 1 eluding a "variationiof the ordinary drop raised or lowered position. e i The Knowles head employs among other things avibrator lever operable by the pattern chain and having mounted thereon a?" vibrator gear to which is attached a vibrator actuating the color selector, said parts in-f connector, the connector actuating either a;

harness or the levers which control the boxes,

'and it is a more particular object of my iniven'tlon to derivethe motion for controlling the. color, slide from the, upward movement of the vibrator connector. 7

With these and other objectsin view which and set forth in the claims.

' the accompanying drawings wherein I Fig. 1 isa rear elevation of the Knowles head and-' certainvparts controlled thereby i showing my invention applied thereto, v

Fig." 2 is a fragmentary view similar to a portion of Fig. 1 but with the parts in a.v different position, j 7 Figs, 3 and 4 are vertical sections on lines 3-3 and"44, respectively, of Fig. 1,

Fig. 5 is an enlarged vertical section on line 55 of Fig; '1,

Fig.6 is a section'on and- I 4 Fig.7 is a relation between line 66 f ig. 1,

the usual color selector of theordinary multi-color weft replenishing 1 mechanism and my; improved controlling devicetherefori' a i Referring to the drawings I have indi-' cated a loom arch 10 and a head frame 11 diagrammatic View showing the bolted thereto and having oppositely rotating mutilated upper and lower cylinder gears 12 and 13, respectively, driven b mechanism not shown but well understoo the head frame. Upward movement of the riglit hand ends of the vibrators. is prevented by a guard 20 and there is pivotally mounted on the opposite end of each vibrator lever a vibrator gear '21. Connected pivotally as at 22 to each of the vibrator gears 21 is a vibrator connector 23, two vibrator levers and connectors being shown herein to correspond to a loom having four boxes on the end opposite the replenishing mechanism.

Themechanism for controlling theboxes includes two levers 24 and 25, respectively, the former being pivoted at 26 and having direct connection as at 27 with a box lifting chain 28 and being attachedat the upper end thereof to one of the vibrator connectors. The other lever 25 has mounted for free 130- tation on the lower end thereof a sheave 29 around which extends the chain, 28 and the upper end of said lever 25' is operatively connected to the other ofthe vibrator connectors 23. A guide sheave 3O pivoted 011 a fixed stud 31 guides the chain. 28 toward the boxes. I 1

In-the operation of the device thusfar described the'cylinders 12' and 13 rotateconstantly in opposite directions and the pattern chain 15, shown herein as being two spaces wide, raises and lowers the vibrator levers-18 in predetermined sequence depend-, ing upon the order in which the shuttles are to become active so that the vibrator gears are presented to one or the other of said mutilated cylinders. Asthe gears 21 rotate the levers'24 and 25 will be oscillated either to the right or to the left sovas to give the box lifter chain 28 four different positions. This part of the mechanism is well understood 'and is known as the Knowles head "and may be the same as that set forth in Patent No. 134,992.

In carrying my invention intov effect I make use of a slightvariation of the usual form ofdrop weight, the purpose of which previously stated is to. move the point of attachment between the connectors 23 and the vibrator gears 21 to points below the, center of the gears in either position of the latter, and in carrying my invention into effect I provide a palr of drop weight levers 40 each'pivoted on the usual stud 41 but provided with an arm 42 attached to a spring 43, the; upper end of which is held to a fixed part of the loomas at 44. Thearms 42 and springs 43 constitute a slight variation in the usual construction of the drop weight, the springs serving to hold the drop weight levers against the connectors 23. V

In carrying my invention into further efof high and low points 49 and 50, respectively. Saiddiscs and ratchets are "freely rotatable on a stud 51 held me small stand 52 fixed with respect to the "head frame. As

the vibrator connectors 23 rise due to the rotary movement of the vibrator gears the pawls 45 will g ve an angular movement to the ratchets and discs. I

Referring to Fig; 7 it will be seen that the, weft magazine M isprovided .with plural ity of vertically movable slides 53 and is further providedwith acolor slide 54 movablehorizontally inbearings 55' forming part of the magazine under influence of a bell crank lever 56'moving about a fixed pivot 57. A spring'58 is, interposed between a fixed part of the magazine and the bell crankleVer and .by means of a grooved collar 59 which has contact withthe upper end of the bell crank lever. the color slide 54 is moved back and forth so that fingers, one of which is indicated at 60, may cooperate with the lugs 61 forming parts of the slides 53.. r i

It is to be understood that the longitudinal position of the 'color :slide 54 must a ree v with the active shuttle-and that." said color slideisgiven an angular movement both at thetimeof indication of weft exhaustion and also at the time of releasing. the'fresh bobbin to be inserted inthe exhausted shuts tley The color slide and parts associated IOU therewithasshown in Fig. 7 maybe subs stantially the same as shown in Patcnt' No. 1,030,74

color slide 54 by'means, of the previously described discs 48 I employ a system of In order to control the position offthe' rying this feature of'my invention into effeet I provide a relatively short lever 70 I pivoted on the stud 4:1"fllld having an up wardly extending arm with a rounded sur-' face 71 adapted to enter the lowpoints 50 of the dis'cs or the slight recesses 72 formed in the face of the high points 49, said recesses serving to position the discs and-ratchets.

A relatively longer control lever 73' is pivoted asat 74 tothe lower end of the shorter lever 70 and is also provided at the upper end thereof with a rounded end 75 similar to the rounded endv 71. The lower end of the'control lever 73 projects below the pivot 74 and is connected as at 76 to a flexible V connector,-as the chain 77. Saidchain may extend around a guide sheave 78 and is at,-

tached to one of the arms of the hell crank lever 56'as'shown in Fig. 7.

In the operation of the loom the vibrator connectors will moveup' and down as thevibrator gears rock about their centers. The pa'wls 45 will therefore move the ratchets and the cam (llSCS' \Vlll be given an angular movement equal to the distance between a;

low point and the adjacent high point thereof. The levers and 73 are in this way moved to any one of four-different relative positions to give the bottom of'thc control lever 7 3 four horizontal positions; color slide 54 is thus moved positively to the left by the cam discs 48 and yieldinglyto the right by spring 58. It is to be understood that the boxes do not come to rest until the vibrator gears complete their oscillation but that the movement of control lever-73 is completed when the vibrator gears have been given approximately one-half of their movement, thus placing the color slide 54 in its final position beforethe boxes stop moving.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I have provided means in conjunction with the well-known Knowles head to complete the movement of the color slide prior to the completion of the movement of the boxes, in this way affording more time for the bobbin which is to be placed in the exhausted shuttle to move to transfer position. Furthermore, it will be seen that the movements of the levers 70 and 7 3 take place irrespective of the direction in which the vibrator gears 21 rotate, the low points of the cam discs being operatively disposed with respect to the rounded ends 71 and 7 5 when the pivot v 22 is to the left of the center of the vibrator gears and the high points of the discs cooperating with said rounded end-s when-the pivot 22 is to the right of the center of the.

vibrator gears. Also, it will be seen that the pawls 45 which actuate the ratchet-s are mounted on the drop weight levers 40 which are only slightly different from the construction usual in the Knowles head.

Having thus described my invention it will be apparent that changes and modtications may be made therein by those skilled in the art Without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, and I do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed,

but what I claim is:

1. In a color indication mechanism for a weft replenishing loom having a vibrator lever, a vibrator gear rotatably mounted thereon, a vibrator connector given operative movements by the vibrator gear, a shuttle box actuating. mechanism operated'by the vibrator connector, and a color slide, a drop .weight lever to position the vibrator connector, a control lever operatively connected with the color slide, and means operatively related to the drop weight lever and the control lever to give the latter a plurality of positions as the vibrator moves under influence of the vibrator gear and to complete The i the movement of the color slide prior'to the movement'of the shuttle box actuating mech-' v anism.

2. In a color indication mechanisnrfor a fweftreplenishing loom having a. vibrator level, a vibrator gear rotatably' 'mounted; thereon, ,a vibratorconnector given operativ-e movements by t-hevibrator gear, a sh uttlc box actuating mechanism operated by the vibrator connector, and. a color slide, a drop weight lever for the vibrator connector, a I

cam-disc, operative connections between the drop weight lever and the cam disc to actuate the latter as the vibrator connector;

moves, and a control lever operatively connected ,to the color slide and cam disc to give said slide completed movements prior to the' completion of the movements of the shuttle box actuating mechanism.; t

3. In a color indication mechanism for a weft replenishing loom having a vibrator lever, a vibrator gear rotatably mounted thereon, avibrator connector given operative movements by the vibrator gear,.a shuttle box actuating mechanism operated by the so i vibrator connector. and a color slide, a drop 7 weight lever for the vibrator connected to position the latter properly with respect to the vibrator gear, a pawl mounted on and movable withthe drop weight lever, a ratchet to cooperate. with the; pawl, a cam disc moving with the ratchet, and a control lever operatively connected to the color slide and cam disc to communicate completed movements of the latter to said color slide prior to the completion of the movements of the shuttle box'actuating mechanism.

4'. In a color indication mechanism for. a weft replenishing loom having vibrator levers, pat-tern mechanism therefor, vibrator gears rotatably mounted thereon, vibrator connectorsgiven operativemovements by the vibrator gears, actuators for the gears to 5. In a color indication mechanism for a weft replenishing loom having vibrator levers, pattern mechanism therefor, vibrator gears rotatably mounted thereon, vibrator connectors given operative movements by the vibrator gears, actuators for the gears to move the same and connectors after the pattern mechanism has acted on the vibrator levers, and a color slide, a drop weight lever for 'each vibrator connector, a pawl and nected to the color slide to give the latter a plurality of positions depending upon the position of the vibrator connectors, said color slide receiving a completed movement prior to the completion of the movement of the vibrator'connectors. r

6. Ina color indication mechanism for a weftreplenishing loom having a vibrator lever, a vibratory gear rotatably mounted thereon, a vibrator connector given operative movements by the vibrator gear, a shuttle box actuating mechanism operated by the vibrator connector, and a color slide, a

I ratchet, a pawl actuated by the connector,

color slide and movable with the ratchet to give the color slide a plurality of positions."

7 In a color indication mechanism for a weft replenishing loom having a vibrator lever, a vibrator gearrotatably mounted thereon, a vibrator connector. given operative box actuating mechanism operated by the vibratorconnector, and a color slide, a ratchet,

a pawl actuated by theconnector tomove. the ratchet intermittentlybut always in the,

same direction, and a device moved bythe ratchet and operativcly connected to :the

color slide to give the latter a plurality of positions. 7

In testimony whereof have hereunto at movements by the vibrator gear, a shuttle 

